“The increase in the number of courts and judicial infrastructure in the country is an indication of the faith that the society has on the judiciary. Criminal cases should decrease but civil cases should increase,” said Justice M.M. Sundresh of the Supreme Court on Wednesday.
He said so after laying the foundation stone for construction of a five-storied building, next to the old Madras Law College heritage building in Chennai, for housing criminal and original side court halls, judges’ chambers, administrative sections and a record room for the Madras High Court.
He also laid the foundation stone for construction of 10 judges’ bungalows at Greenways Road. The ceremony was held in the presence of the Madras High Court Chief Justice Sanjay V. Gangapurwala, the Acting Chief Justice designate R. Mahadevan and the High Court’s building committee chairman Justice D. Krishnakumar.
In the same event, Justice Gangapurwala rolled out a scheme titled ‘Chief Justice’s Relief Fund for the District Judiciary Employees’, which is expected to benefit around 22,000 employees. Justice Mahadevan received a copy of the scheme which would come into force from August 1, 2024 to provide monetary assistance to the court staff.
Addressing the gathering, Justice Sundresh commended the services rendered by Chief Justice Gangapurwala to the Madras High Court during his nearly one year long stint and said, the huge gathering at the event, just a day before his retirement, was an endorsement of his dedication and sincerity in the growth of the State judiciary.
Choosing to deliver his speech in Tamil, the judge said, ancient Tamil literature was synonymous with justice and if justice had to have a language it could only be Tamil. He appreciated the High Court for having introduced a relief fund scheme for the employees of the district judiciary in Tamil Nadu.
